Escape the Fate
by Nera Zenn
Summary: When a run in with a dark priestess leaves Kagome with no memory and dog ears, help is bound to come from the unlikeliest of places. However, is he really there to assist her on her journey or is he there for the sword she promised to give him in return?
1. Prelude

**A/N: **Hello everyone. This is going to be my first attempt at a Sesshomaru and Kagome idea that I have had rattling around in my head for the longest time. Currently, I'm **looking for a beata reader** for this along with my other stories. If anyone is interested, please send me a message. Rate and Review. Enjoy.__

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_Escape the Fate  
_**Prelude**

The sun was low on the horizon, bathing the city in a molten glow of oranges and crimson.

It was as if the colors and the intensity of the light are just enough to stop anyone who had caught a glimpse and make them take a moment out of their busy lifestyle to appreciate the beauty that was casting a glow upon Tokyo. They rays were warm and calming, reaching each individual in the busy streets with a gentle caress. The sun, which was once a bright burning inferno at mid-day was not lowering its stance and amount of heat. It was as if a big symphony of powerful music at one moment was quieting down as it transverse into a beautiful and emotional slow song.

It was quite lovely.

But, the beauty of it all could not be appreciated by one girl, for she was running around her house like a chicken without a head.

Kagome Higurashi was running, very, very _late_.

Surprise. Surprise.

"He is so going to _murder_ me!" The onyx haired female had cried out, her yelp echoing thought the empty household.

She was back in her current time, for there was a very large fight between the insufferable silver haired hanyou and herself just the day prior. He had gotten in her face about always taking too much time off, traveling back and forth between his era and her own. All he wanted to do was defeat Naraku and get the jewel completed so their four and a half year journey can finally come to an end. Of course he had not brought the topic up in any kind way, never beating around the bush as what he was saying, always choosing the direct and harsh path when he was explaining his reasons.

The constant nagging at lasted for a very long ten minutes, where Kagome had attempted to ignored the red clad half demon, busying herself with cooking dinner for the group. However, one line he had said had broken her. One statement had opened the flood gate. One sentence made her sit his ass until there was a six foot deep hole in the ground.

"_If Kikyou were here, this would have all ended a long time ago."_

Both Miroku and Sango had their faces set in a slight grimace as the words had passed his lips.

He really could take it too far sometimes. It was all Inuyasha's fault that she had barely graduated from high school in the first place. Had he not noticed the amount of time she was giving up for him and this adventure? Her education was very important, but she had attended the very minimal amount of days possible for _him._

She was once close with her family, now she had barely gotten to see them for months at a time, only to pop in an say hello for about a day and a half because she needed to get back to the other side of the well, because god forbid if you make Inuyasha wait, he might just blow a tantrum. She had done this, for _him._

Her friends barely knew who she was anymore. The last time she had seen Ayumi, Yuka, and Eri in person was about a year ago, when she was supposed to have broken both legs and they had come to the house to check up on her. It just so happened that she had been back that day, gathering more supplies for the ever hungry hanyou. The sudden onslaught of her girl friend's abrupt arrival had her pretending to be in casts for the rest of the evening, which didn't sit well with the golden eyed male, for he blew a fit when she had gotten back late.

She had left her friends behind, for _him._

The least he could do was be a bit considerate of her feelings. Then again, who was she attempting to fool; it was Inuyasha she was talking about here. Considerate was not in his vocabulary.

When she had come back to her time, Kagome had remained longer than she had initially intended. The last time she had been home was about four months prior, since she had long outgrown her usual temper tantrum that had her usually claiming that she wanted to go home and instead settled for walks.

Very long walks.

She liked to clear her head, release the bad and think about the good things in her life, but at the moment they were a bit hard to come by. After about thirty minutes of wandering aimlessly through the woods the pale skinned Miko would usually stop her useless banter and call out the name of the person who had sent her on this walk and the male would appear before her in a matter of seconds.

He had always followed her and when she had inquired why he had done so, the stubborn male replied with the fact that he needed to protect her because she was too weak to do it herself. In her head, she liked to think that he was just worried about her.

While remaining in her time, Kagome had gotten so caught up with the fact that it was late December and the Christmas Holidays were just around the corner, that she had remained for three whole days. If anyone had known the red clad hanyou as well as she did, he was most likely blowing his lid. It was surprising that he had not come to her house and drag her back to the well by her hair.

The thought that she needed to go back to the Sengoku Jidai had not occurred to her until she had stopped to take a look at the calendar hanging upon her bedroom wall, finally becoming aware of the time and date. Panicking, she did the normal Kagome thing to do.

Rush around the house, gathering up enough instant ramen that would buy her forgiveness.

It was a full-proof plan.

The inky haired woman had gotten two grocery bags filled with different flavors of ramen that would surely buy her some time before she was rimed for taking too long, her home cabinets now empty of any type of substance. Writing a note to her mother that she was leaving and would attempt to be back for the holidays, Kagome had rushed out the door, but not before she had wrapped a yellow scarf tightly around her neck.

It may have been winter here, but it was still early autumn in the feudal era, which meant that no coat or jacket was necessary, as long as she didn't mind the blistering cold for a few minutes while she had made her way through the yard.

Fresh snow had crunched under her sneakered feet, toes losing all feeling as she had trudged through the ankle deep snow mounds that had covered her entire yard. Slowly she had maneuvered her way through the white abyss, arriving at the well house shortly after. Shaking off the excess snow that had clung to her now semi-soaked jeans, Kagome had hopped over the edge of the well, being enveloped in a blue light.

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**Ja Mata Ne  
Nera **


	2. Chapter One

**A/N: **Here is the second chapter. I had a little difficulty with this one on attempting to show all the emotions that Kagome was feeling and I feel like I rushed the ending a little bit. I'll go back and look it over later on. Rate and Review. Enjoy!

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Escape the Fate_  
_**Chapter One: Battle at Sunset**

The sunset in the city was absolutely marvelous and breathtaking, but it was nothing compared to the sunset in the forests of young Japan.

The mountains, which were usually blocked by the tall buildings and skyscrapers, had created a perfect backdrop, a mix of warm pink hues, orange streaks, and purple smears. The sun was very low on the horizon here, barely making itself known. The clouds were dyed a light blue color, contrasting with the rest of the shades that were in the vast open atmosphere.

It was simply breathtaking.

Or maybe she was out of breath because attempting to climb out of a very deep and old well with one hand was not an easy task.

Dropping down on her bottom for the fourth time in about five minutes, Kagome had released a hiss of pain between clenched teeth, her free hand rubbing her sore bottom gently. Standing slowly, the time traveling female had decided it would just be best to throw her bags over the edge, even if it meant denting or even cracking a few of the styrofoam containers.

Swinging the bags gently in one arm for a few seconds, the blue eyed beauty had gathered up momentum before releasing the plastic bags, letting them fly up and over the well's edge and landing with a very loud thud. She had winced slightly, hoping that nothing had been broken for if she attempted to offer up broken gifts in apology, Inuyasha would never let her live it down. Sighing heavily, Kagome had grabbed onto the vines along the wooden edge, climbing slowly and steadily as she had made her way upward.

Once her hands had gripped tightly onto the ledge, Kagome had counted to three inwardly before gathering what strength she could muster and pole vaulted herself out of the dark depths of the well and into the dusk of Feudal Japan. One her feet were safely on the ground, the raven haired girl had dusted off her pants and sweater, seeing that they had collected quite a bit of dirt when the law of gravity had taken over during her falling session.

She had always loved traveling through the well.

There was just something about it. She really couldn't say what, but it was invigorating. It was like you could almost feel the magic caressing your skin as it had carried you oh so many years into the past. It was gentle and warm, promising your safe passage no matter what the conditions were on the other side. Every time she had jumped into the well, it had made her a promise with that warm glow of light.

Nothing would harm her on her way over and Kagome believed in it every single time.

Gathering all of her belongings, relief had washed over her being when she had taken careful note that there were no instant ramen packages destroyed in their flight and crash. Turning around to face the well once more, Kagome had picked up her bow and quiver, something that she had kept next to the well at all times.

She had never taken it with her back to her time; she felt there was no need to. So, whenever she had gone back home, Kagome left it leaning up against the well, the items always in the same spot when she had returned. Fastening the bow and arrows on her left shoulder, she turned back around, slinging the groceries on her right forearm.

It was then that realization had dawned on her.

There was something missing here that she did not like. It was by now that Inuyasha would break through the tree line, yelling curses and profanities to the Four Winds, complaining that he didn't have all day to sit and wait around for her to come back. She had waited a few more seconds, seeing as he might have been a little ways away, catching her scent and making a bee-line right for the well, but when the loud crash and screaming voice were absent, the young miko began to worry.

It was very rare for her to come out of the well and have Inuyasha absent from her presence and she was certainly not used to it. The only occasion he had done so was when he was either in battle or just simply too far to catch her scent. Kagome had silently prayed that it was the latter rather than the first choice, but he had usually been in the vicinity awaiting her arrival even if they had gotten into a fight. Whenever she was gone, he just so happened to be there when she had gotten back. Biting her bottom lip nervously, blue eyes darted back and forth in attempt to sense anything in the near tree-line.

Maybe he was just still in the village brooding about their argument and being too stubborn to come fetch her.

That seemed like the most Inuyasha-ish scenario.

It was then, however, that she had _felt_ it.

That familiar pull on her heart and tingle in the back of her mind.

It was a shard.

The remaining amount of shards that they needed to find could be counted on one hand, each and every single one of them being precious. They were rare for her group to come across, but they did not waste a change to obtain one. It had then occurred to her the reasoning behind Inuyasha's absence. He could not sense them like she could, but when a regular youkai had possession of a jewel shard and crossed paths with a very hot blooded hanyou, all it took was a taunt and there would be a fight. Her breath had hitched in her throat, heart beat picking speed; she needed to get to him.

To help him with her power.

Without a second thought, Kagome Higurashi had taken off into the trees, instant ramen long forgotten.

The thick brush was hard to maneuver through. It was something that she would never get used to.

The silver haired half demon had made it seem so easy to do, especially in _bare_ feet, but she could hardly do it with her shoes on. She knew this was dangerous, going off on her own through the woods, but it needed to be done. If Inuyasha had not been caught up in a fight and really didn't know that a shard was so close to the point where she could almost taste it, Kagome might be in a lot of trouble if she had gone back empty handed without it.

It was strange however, it had seemed the more she ran towards the shard, the further it seemed to get away from her; that, or she was just heading in the wrong direction. Stopping in her tracks, she could not help but be completely exhausted, leaning up against a thick tree trunk in attempt to catch her breath. It was not that she had realized how completely out of shape she was for Inuyasha usually carried her on his back when he wanted to move quickly and that was all the _time_. That was going to change soon.

Crystalline orbs had closed slightly, attempting to pinpoint the exact location of the shard. She needed to concentrate, focus her power and concentrate.

It was off to her left.

Sighing with much relief, Kagome had pushed herself off of her resting area, taking off to the West as quickly as her uncoordinated feet could carry her.

The power being emitted from the shard seemed to grow stronger and stronger, but as she had gotten closer to the destination, the sounds of a battle were not echoing through the trees like she thought they would be. The female had stopped dead, lips pressed together in a thin line, mouth completely dry. Inuyasha had never fought silently, which meant that she was about to go head on with whatever creature had the shard in their possession completely and utterly alone.

Just wonderful.

She was completely _alone_, possessed only one dozen arrows and had no idea who or what the enemy was. She felt like a complete idiot, one who could be falling into a trap for all she knew. If she had lived to tell this tale, Inuyasha was most likely going to gut her for being this insanely stupid. The ringing in her ears did not die down and her heart had skipped a few beats at the thought of what might happen to her.

Was she really ready to die for the Sacred Jewel? The miko knew quite well that it was her job to look after the sacred object and it was her duty to put her life on the line for it when she could, but was she really ready to give up her life just yet?

The answer to that question was no.

Of course, that had extremely made her appear weak, something that the hanyou had always called her, though, she had attempted to not listen. It was not her fault that she was not as strong as he was, or as skilled in martial arts as Songo was, not even as brave as Miroku. She was a nineteen and a half year old young woman and this was not something she had not been raised or born with the skills that her companions possessed. However, she knew that her skills were close, if not on par with Miroku.

Kagome knew Inuyasha would never admit that. His pride was too great to hand out complements for he needed to keep the tough facade going. Inuyasha perceived her as a reincarnate of Kikyo and she would always be stuck in that shadow until she was finally able to prove that her skills were far better.

That she was the better woman.

The onyx haired beauty was not the same little girl that had been dragged down the well those many years ago, Kagome had blossomed into a fine young woman who loved and cared. She had a warmth and glow about her that none could match, especially those who were _dead._ Her powers had been harnessed quite well in that time, however, in his eyes, she would never be as strong as the undead woman because she apparently required his protection every night and day that she had remained in this era.

This is where most of the arguments tended to occur.

If she had attempted to defend herself from an oncoming attack the chance was snatched away by greedly clawed hands that had pushed her to the side, the red clad half demon stating that this was not her fight and to simply _stay out of the way._ Of course, if Kikyou was in the same situation, the Inuysaha would let her fight, for her was the most superior of them all. The one and only.

Yeah, one and only woman made out of _clay_.

She didn't know why Inuyasha had gotten her so worked up. Over and over again she had tired her hardest to just brush things off, let them be, but it was killing her slowly on the inside. _He_ was killing her slowly; from the inside out.

Of course, no man or woman would ever forget their first love, but she was _dead_, no longer of the living world. He had all right to mourn for her, however, as soon as the female had been resurrected things had changed. There were no more accidental slip ups in calling her Kikyou or the confusion that appeared on his face when she had dressed in her miko attire, signaling that he was trying to figure out who he was looking at.

It was all on _purpose_ after that. Once he had known that she was part of the living world once more, Inuyasha had made every comment, every comparison, and every statement about her on purpose. The woman that he had cared for greatly was once again alive-in a sense- which that meant that they could be together, no one taking her place in his heart.

No matter how hard Kagome had tried, that just seemed to be the case.

For four and a half years she had done things for him no woman would. She accepted him for what he was, liked him for what he was, and treated him with such compassion and kindness that no other human being had showed him in his long lifetime. And what did she get in return? The adjective _useless_ always attached as a description to her skills no matter what activity it was that she was preforming.

If he thought that she was useless, he had another thing coming.

Before Kagome could stop herself and her rational mind could talk some type of sense into her, the young Miko had marched through the bushes and into a clearing. The power from the shard was emitting greatly from this area, but she could not pinpoint its exact location within this clearing.

The small feild flowers of a lighter spectrum, white and soft plum orchids, though there were dashes of bright yellow daisies here and there. It looked peaceful, but there was something chilling about the place. Something was completely off. The sky seemed to have darkened quicker then she had remembered, but no star had shone brightly in that sky.

There was no glow from the moon about because there was no _moon_.

Shrugging off her bow, Kagome had pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back, placing it alongside the bow, the thick string in between her slender finger, ready to be drawn at any moment. Hesitantly, raven tressed girl had stepped forward, the whole clearing being illuminated by the flowers that had rested on the ground.

Suddenly, a very loud cackle had echoed through the clearing chilling Kagome to the very core. Shivering slightly, she had turned around, blue-gray irises searching for the creator of the screeching laugh. Kagome had gotten her answer when a woman had appeared about ten yards away. She was dressed in priestess attire, though it was with darker than her own.

This woman's hakama was a nightly shade of black, matching the color of her own hair, while her haori was of a rich purple color. She was very pale almost ghostly white and her hair was a dull gray, being held in a high ponytail, though bangs had framed her face like Sango. Her eyes were a glittering gold that seemed to stare right through the very fiber of her being without any trouble.

There were two parallel marks of magenta running along her cheeks, almost like the ones that Inuyasha adorned when he was being controlled by his beast, though hers were jagged and the green pupils were absence from her eyes. Her lips were covered in a purple dye, making them stand out against the rest of porcelain form and on her eyelids was a thick black coating of some substance. As much as Kagome hated to admit it, this female was beautiful, celestial almost and she held a jewel shard.

It was there, around her neck on a golden chain, glistening darkly. She must have tainted it.

"My, my. You are a lot easier to capture than I would have thought." The woman had practically purred, making the hairs on the back of Kagome's neck stand up with the sound of that velvet voice.

"Who are you?" The female had ground out between clenched teeth, attempting her best to sound menacing, though it was a very pathetic attempt. Pulling the drawstring back on her bow, Kagome had aimed directly for her head, waiting for her answer, but when she had gotten nothing but a laugh in return.

She released the arrow, all the tension built up in the bow snapping with a loud '_thwap'_, sending an arrow alight with her aura towards the creature who had simply side stepped the oncoming attack. The dark priestess had looked back at the arrow which had embedded itself in the trunk of a tree before turning towards Kagome, brows drawn down while she had glared in her direction.

"I can promise you the next shot will not miss. So, I will ask this once more, who are you?" The answer she had received was not in the form of a laugh, but just a devious smirk. There was a glint in those molten gold orbs that told Kagome she should run; run as far as she possibly could as fast as she possibly could, though she had stood her ground, fear locking her limbs.

"Is everyone in your little group just as rash as you are?" The smooth voice had echoed through the clearing as the priestess had spoken. Cobalt orbs had grown incredibly wide at the statement, her heart skipping a beat as panic had washed over her. Her hands shook lightly, but she had enough grip on herself to retrieve another arrow from her case, preparing to fire it while the gray haired woman continued.

"The Hanyou was very bash and had a mouth on him. I just don't know how you could be around him all the time. The monk and the slayer were calmer, but not as strong as he was. They had fallen easily." Purple lips had released a dark snicker at the shock stricken face of the Shikon Miko.

"Why do you seem so surprised? Just because Naraku has a bit of trouble dealing with you insolent whelps doesn't mean that you are invincible." As if attempting to prove her point, the gray haired female had pulled out a sword from behind her back, though it didn't take long for Kagome to recognize the weapon; it was Tetsusaiga.

She didn't know how to breathe. Every thought that was running through her head had ceased. This creature had gotten to her friends while she was away. No wonder why Inuyasha had not come to get her at the well. The thought of his blood stain, lifeless form had entered her mind and she had nearly choked.

She had wondered if Shippo and Kirara had shared the same fate, but the thought was quickly pushed aside.

No.

There was no way that her friends had lost to a priestess like her; jewel shard or not. It was hard to believe that one woman could take out all three of her companions with one swoop. Naraku had been attempting to kill them for years and he held most of the shard in his possession, now this _thing _comes along and claims to have easily destroyed them? It was simply just not possible.

Gathering her courage and throwing her fear into the farthest depths of her mind, Kagome had squared her shoulders, challenging dark miko silently. The dark priestess did not seem to like this very much and unsheathed the sword, looking rusty and broken in its normal state, advancing forward one step before she had disappeared. Tensing slightly, Kagome had turned her head frantically from side to side in a poor attempt to locate the woman with the jewel shard, but her effort had ended up being futile.

Where had she gone?

The answer to her question was right in front of her.

The golden eyed woman had appeared right before her, wrapping her free hand around Kagome's throat forcing her lithe and petite body up against a tree that was behind her. Her knees buckled at the sudden attack, leaving her helpless

"Is this all the Shikon Miko has to offer?" The woman had purred, encircling her slender fingers tighter around Kagome's throat.

Lifting her up higher, sneaker clad feet had dangled freely. Her bow and arrow had dropped from her grasp, free hands rose to the one that was at her throat, clawing frantically in an attempt to free herself but it was to no avail. It was hard to breathe, the onyx haired woman choking on her own saliva and gasping for air. There was a ringing in her ears and the back of her head was aching from the impact that had proceeded a few seconds before. If this was kept up, she would surely die of oxygen deprivation within two minutes.

She had kicked, clawed, struggled and squirmed.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing had worked to free herself.

The gray haired dark miko was speaking again, this time in a dialect that Kagome was not sure of not could she really pick up. There were spots beginning to form in the corners of her eyes, her vision blurring in and out. Her attempts of freedom were becoming weaker and weaker, strangled breaths escaping her parted lips.

The gray haired woman continued her chanting, glittering orbs bleeding crimson as she had done so.

Many things had happened within the blink of an eye. Colbalt orbs had fluttered closed, before she felt her body free fall before crashing into something cold and hard. Her throat had hurt, but oxygen was beginning to course through her blood stream once more, though it was not enough to keep her awake.

The edges of darkness were taking over her mind, but before Kagome had completely passed out, one sentence had echoed through her mind.

_"If you want to see your friends again, take the sword and fight for their freedom. If, you can remember."_

Then everything went black.

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**Ja Mata Ne.  
Nera. **


	3. Chapter Two

**A/N:** Here is the third chapter and the long awaited arrival of Sesshomaru has come. Hope you all Enjoy! Review and Rate.

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_Escape the Fate  
_**Chapter Two: Hanyou**

Pain.

There was lots of pounding pain.

Cobalt orbs had fluttered open slowly, only to find the world spinning, to which they had closed soon after. Never had she been in this much pain before, the throbbing centering in the middle of her forehead and working itself all the way down to her to her toes.

It felt as if someone had taken a hammer and knocked her on the head with it and now she was facing the repercussion. Once more she had attempted to open her hues, long lashes brushing against her cheeks, though this time the surrounding area was completely still, but the pain did not cease and her vision was slightly blurred. For a second time, the onyx haired female had closed her eyes.

Kagome did not want to force herself up just yet; instead she had taken stock on her body to see what was injured and what was able to move. All ten fingers twitched slightly when she had attempted to move them, signaling to her that they were all still attached to her body. She had moved from trembling her fingers to full on tapping them against the ground below, which she had come to the conclusion was grass.

Had she fallen asleep on a knoll or something? The young miko began to wiggle her toes, where she had come to realize that she did still have her shoes on; the movement turning into rolling her ankles soon after. The dull ache that was rolling through her was slightly receding with the movement of her lithe form, arms and legs bending slightly.

Saphire orbs had opened slowly once more vision now clear of the haze which had blocked her sight beforehand. There was a canopy of trees above her, blocking the sun from direct contact with her skin, though a few rays of light had peeked through. Brows had furrowed slightly, creating a frown upon her brow.

Was she in a forest? Since when did she go out into forests? From what she could remember there was not a woodland area where she had lived.

Wait.

Where did she live again?

Panicking slightly, the petite female shot up quickly which turned out to be a very big mistake for a dizzy spell had come over her, causing Kagome to be slightly light headed though with her hand against her forehead she was able to fend off the faint feeling.

When the sensation had died down, the charcole haired girl had looked at her surroundings, eyes glancing back and forth. She could determine that she was in a field, most of the ground covered in flowers though she was lying upon one of the patches that was just grass. However, something was off.

Everything was so _clear_.

It was almost strange. Every contour and detail was perfect in her line of sight, like she began to view the world in high definition. She could pick up an insect sitting on a flower about twenty feet away. Could that be considered normal?

Kagome attempted to thnk back, to remember something that might help her with this situation, her thoughts drew up short. She didn't know what year and date it was, she didn't know where she had lived, she didn't know who her family and friends were-if she even had any-and she didn't know how the hell she ended up in the forest. Her mind was completely blank. Absolutely nothing.

The only thing she could remember was her name, Kagome Higurashi, and her own appearance. Form what she could remember, she was medium build, skinny, and had black hair and blue eyes; human. That was really it. There was not that much detail left in her mind.

Breath quickening; the female had moved to stand up. As her lithe form scrambled to stand properly, her left hand brushed against something cool and metal. Turning her head to the side slowly, blue orbs had taken in the sight of a sword. Her first instinct was to flinch away from the rusted metal object.

A thought that passed her mind that it could be hers, but was someone like her a fighter? She really couldn't tell. Reaching over slowly, slender fingers had enclosed around the handle of the weapon, pulling it towards her.

Well from the looks of it, this thing could not have been used in a very long time, ruling out the thought of using it as her own. The metal was rusted beyond repair and the blade itself was chipped in some places. The weapon looked many years old; older then she was, then again, she technically didn't have the knowledge to determine her own age.

Planting the tip of the blade into the ground, Kagome used the sword as a point to which she could lean on so that it would help her stand up, legs still slightly shaky. When she was on her own two feet once more, the female had pulled the blade from the dirt, eyes looking around for an object in particular.

She may have not remembered much about herself, but she did have knowledge of other things, like that a sword should have a sheath.

Ah, there it was.

Slowly, step by step, Kagome had wandered towards the casing, bending down to pick it up the proceeding the sheath the sword. There was a string around the hilt of the sheath to which she used to tie the sword snuggly to her hip, making sure it was completely secure. During the process something interesting caught her undivided attention.

She had suddenly become aware of the very long nails that she had possessed. Being extraordinarily curious, she had brought her own hand towards her face to examine the appendage with great detail.

Kagome was intrigued to say the least. Didn't most humans keep their nails short?

Just then, a twig had snapped off to her left, drawing her attention away from her own limb and to that of the bushes. By natural instinct, the woman had sniffed the air, which had confused her greatly. Why would a person sniff the air when they hear a noise?

However, before her rational mind could come up with an explanation, there was a movement on the top of her head that had caught her attention, disturbing her slightly. Reaching up slowly she had embedded her fingers into her raven locks, attempting to find the source of the movement, but what she found had scared her.

There on the top of her head were two furry little appendages.

Dog ears from what she could feel.

_That_ did not sit with her well. This was just not right.

Doing the only thing that she could, Kagome Higurashi had released an ear piercing scream.

-**M**-

"Jaken-sama!**"** Rin splashed happily in a deep stream that ran parallel to their tread.

"Insufferable ningen! Will you stop splashing me girl!" The toad shrieked, flailing his Nintoujou toward the lively girl. Rin paused her assault and checked for her lord. As usual he was several meters away walking with no hesitations about leaving the two to squabble alone. With one final splash at Jaken the girl let her little legs carry her as fast as she could to her Lord, leaving poor Jaken in the dust.

"Rin." The stoic demon chided. With a little pout the girl ran back, grabbing the wrist of the wrangling kappa and sprinted back to Sesshoumaru, dropping the the green imp unceremoniously.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, will we reach the palace soon?" Rin asked, looking up to her Lord. A slight nod was her only affirmative and she frolicked around picking random flowers, smelling them and either keeping them or discarding them for her next flower crown, not noticing the molten gold eyes that were upon her form.

He blamed the thrice-damned sword.

What else could have been responsible for his temporary lapse of insanity? The sword had manipulated him, had twisted every instinct he had ever possessed. It had forced him to accept a path he would have shunned at any other time. He should have killed her while he'd had the chance. She had been defenseless, vulnerable. She could never have survived even the lightest of blows, and he still could not explain why he had not simply ended her miserable existence.

She would, he felt, have been grateful to be released from the pitiful life she led. It would have been an act of mercy. She certainly had nothing to live for. Yet he had kept the little girl alive to the point that he had even let her remain in his possession. He must have been losing his touch.

Sesshoumaru had never thought of himself as a particularly "enlightened" individual and certainly had never gone out of his way to ensure the comfort of others. Steeped in traditions passed from generation to generation of the elite Inuyoukai clan, the Lord of the West had grown to take things for granted and had grown to expect sycophantic behaviors as much as he despised them.

To him, good deeds were not only unheard of; they were uncommon, odd behaviors for there was always surely an ulterior motive. No one could be that selfless and generous regardless of dangers they unknowingly or deliberately thrust upon themselves to help another being.

Society was littered with avarice and self-aggrandizement and it certainly did not disappoint his opinion. He kept his friends close but his enemy's even closer for one never knew what treachery await one in the most unexpected places and circumstances. Having been raised in grandeur, Sesshoumaru carried that traditional thinking albeit with a touch of cynicism well-guarded. Loyalty could be so easily purchased with a few golden coins or even with a few whores.

Yet here he was watching over a little human girl for the last four and a half years.

It was simply unheard of, but he did not find a reason to let her go.

The Lord himself kept watch over his dysfunctional companions. He could smell age coming to Rin, the scent of adolescence and reproduction. He cocked his head to the side silently assessing her. She was strong for a ningen. She was strong for her gender and her age.

He was proud of her, but this small revelation was awkward to the Lord. Now, however was a crossroad in her life. Soon her own time of mating would come; instinct would call her to look for a suitable male, settle down and reproduce her own kind. And he, Sesshoumaru, should release her then.

He had always known he would have to give her up. It was customary of the short ningen life span. Though, the problem was if she would ever want to be away from his side.

Rin was very fond of him, anyone with two eyes could easy be aware of that, though he was also aware of the fact that she herself was coming to terms with the thought of being on her own from now on. It would be difficult for her, since this was a lifestyle that she would prefer, but it would not be the best lifestyle for a human girl, especially one whose life would pass by in a blink of his eye. He would not age, she would. It was a simple fact that she would need to leave him eventually, even if it was the last thing she wanted.

There was a noise that had brought him from his train of thought; ears had perked slightly, taking in the shrill voice that was about half a mile away to the east. Jaken and his ward did not seem to hear a thing, luckily for him. Sniffing the air lightly, the male had gotten a hold of a familiar aroma which had piqued his interest greatly.

"Jaken." He had stated, stopping all of his movements, which had caused his traveling companions to do that same.

"Here." He had stated before taking off into the trees on his left without waiting for the toad to comment back. It was a lot earlier in the day for them to stop and settle down for a while, so the green demon was sure to have questions as to why they were stopping so early, but at the moment the silver haired Lord did not want to hear the creature's voice.

Swiftly he had traveled, throughout the bush, evading any object that was in his way as he had soundlessly traveled. The closer he had gotten, the more potent the familiar scent of dark magic had filled his nose. It was very strong and not that of Naraku, who had been the main reason behind any black arts within the last couple of years. There was something going on here and he wanted to know what it was.

There was another smell loitering underneath the strong smell of enchantment, though it was familiar, it was also one that he swore he had not come across before. Picking up speed, the male had continued on his journey, following his nose and senses until he had come into clearing, where a female hanyou sat crumbled on her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks, and Tetsusaiga at her side.

Wait just a second.

Molten gold orbs had widened a fraction of an inch, though the melancholic mask had taken control of his features quickly, his face looking indifferent once again.

How the hell was it that this _half-breed_ had gotten a hold of his bastard brother's sword?

And then he had smelt it, that familiar jasmine and vanilla scent that no other could copy. Even though there was a very strong smell of salt water within the clearing, Sesshomaru was positive that the woman in front of him was none other than his half-breed bother's wench.

What the hell had she done to herself?

It was likely that she didn't use the jewel to use the wish to turn herself hanyou because Naraku was still in possession of many of the shards. Plus, the putrid scent of dark energy was strong here, so she must have resorted to some sort of spell to make her the way she was.

The main question was _why_?

His brother did not want her, he wanted the undead priestess. Did she honestly think that turning herself into one of his kind that he would want her more? Sesshomaru swore that she was the most unintelligent being that he had ever come across in about two hundred years.

So, where was his brother anyway?

Sniffing the air lightly, he had come to the sudden realization that Inuyasha had not been within five feet of this girl within a couple of days. Golden orbs had looked towards the crumpled heap of the woman that was a few yards in front of him.

There was only one scenario that he had come up with in his head that had had explained the reasoning for her being here like this. She had turned herself into a hanyou, ran to his brother thinking that things would have been better and the half breed and turned her down yet again and she had run off on her own, though she had taken his sword with her.

There were some questions that popped up in his head, loopholes in his story. For one, how could this little girl manage to even take the sword from his half brother? She did not possess the strength to take it from him. The hanyou could have taken her out easily. Also, the smell of magic was quite strong, so the spell must have been recent, which does not fit the timeline of the last time that Inuyasha was with her.

Speaking of the loud mouth idiot, another question being as to why his half-brother was not here now? It was not like him to just let someone run off with his weapon of choice, not even the woman who he had traveled with.

Said woman, who still seemed completely oblivious to his presence, clutched the sword to her chest with both hands, gasping for air as if she were a fish out of water. The thought of killing her was present in his mind. He could just take the sword and be on his merry way, but then again he really could _take _the sword at all. To this day the blasted piece of metal still rejected him and he completely _loathed_ rejection.

Her cries had broken his train of thought, the woman continuing to release shaky breaths.

He had enough.

"Miko, give me the sword." The male had stated calmly, taking a step towards the woman.

-**M**-

Kagome had broken down soon after she had discovered the two ears on the top of her head. She was supposed to be _human_ and the last time she checked, humans did not have dog ears on the tops of their heads. She wasn't sure what she was crying for. Maybe it was because of the whole situation she was in or maybe it was because she was scared of what the hell she was, but she needed to release the tears. It felt good to let them out.

She had been at it for a few minutes, letting everything just flow out, which was until she had heard the male voice that had called out. Tensing slightly, cobalt orbs had looked up towards the source of the voice, only to find a male that was not exactly human. If she stood up straight, he would still tower over her by a good foot, if not more. The long silvery locks that had sprouted from the top of his head had fallen almost to the ground, though it complemented his very board form.

There were markings on his face that she had sworn she had seen before; magenta strips on his cheeks, a single strip on each eyelid, and a blue crescent moon on his brow. He was positively stunning.

"Wh-who are you?" She had blurted out quickly, scrambling to her two feet, sword still attached at her hip.

A light brow had arched slightly in question towards the female. Just where was she getting at with this game? Was she attempting to sidetrack him from the real objective here. He was not going to fall for this.

"You heard me Miko, release the sword. Now." He had not commented or stated, he had ordered and it was about time that this little pain in his side actually started to listen to his orders.

Dark brows had furrowed together in confusion. Who the hell was this man and why was he talking to her like this? He didn't need to be so rude. It was a simple question and all he had to do was answer it. A spark of anger had formed in her eyes. "Listen, I asked a simple question. Plus, my name is not 'Miko', it's Kagome. Ka-Go-Me."

Now it was his turn to have a bit of rage burn within the depths of his molten golds. No one. Absolutely no one spoke to him in this fashion. Many times he had let it slide with this woman, but now that his half-brother was not here and would not come and interrupt his actions, he could finally rid himself of the insufferable girl.

"You intolerable _wench._ Release your possession on my sword _now._" He had advanced slowly, taking two steps, though his claws began to glow green in warning towards her that he was not in any way joking about these happenings.

"Just drop it and run back to Inuyasha with your tail between your legs." He had sneered, though instead of the usually brash reaction that he had gotten from her had turned into one of confusion.

Inuyasha? Was that a person? Hell she didn't know, but she was positively sure that this man—well she really couldn't call him that because he was obviously not human, but she didn't have an answer to what he could be—was completely _insane. _

"I don't know who or what you are talking about, but the likes of you do not speak to me that way!" She had ground out, the old fire of disobedience flaming within her glittering hues. Kagome had gripped the hilt of the sword as if she was ready to use it to fight, though she knew that there was no way that she stood a chance against him if it were to come down to it.

Growling lowly in his throat, the demon lord had flicked his wrist, the golden whip escaping from his claws and heading directly for the woman's head.

Kagome did nothing but stare in horror at the oncoming attack, throwing her hands up in her face as if that would protect herself, waiting for the impending pain that would surely come. However, after a few moments of nothing, the female had opened her eyes to look directly into the silken robe of the male that was many yards away.

Shocked, the woman had looked up, crystalline irises locking with that of glowing amber, attempting to take a step back but the firm grip one of his large hands had on her forearm stopped her from doing so.

Raising his hand Sesshomaru had smacked the woman across the face, the back of his hand coming in contact with her temple, the sheer force making her face recoil with the blow. He then proceeded to place a chop to her neck twice, before placing a very well deserved fist to her lower gut.

It was very quick, hard to follow, but the blow had knocked her out quickly, though not painlessly. Hoisting the female over his shoulder, Sesshomaru made sure that she was secured before taking off into the trees. He was going to get to the bottom of her strange behavior and what better way to do that than to take the woman himself. She wouldn't be any good to him dead.

He just hoped that she would not put up that much of a fight for the rest of the way back to the palace or he might just have to continue beating her for the remainder of the trip.

Maybe, just maybe, she would keep her mouth shut about it when she woke up.

Biting back a snort he had almost rolled his eyes.

Yeah right.

He was in for one hell of an earful when she woke up.

This really just was not his day.

* * *

******Ja Mata Ne.  
Nera.**  



End file.
